Hearing Tests

Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA) is one of a key number of hearing test we use to identify hearing threshold levels of an individual, enabling determination of the degree, type and configuration of a hearing loss.

This provides the basis for accurate diagnosis and management of hearing loss. PTA uses both air and bone conduction audiometry allowing the identification of the type of hearing loss. PTA tests the auditory system from the outer, middle ear to the inner ear.

Tympanometry

This is an objective test of middle ear function. It is used to determine the condition of the middle ear, testing the mobility of the ear drum and the function of the middle ear bones, the Ossicles. This is helpful in the diagnosis and treatment of outer ear infections and eardrum perforations. This test is very quick and takes around 2 minutes to complete.

Acoustic Reflex Testing

During Acoustic reflex testing you will hear a very loud sound for a very short period of time. This test provides an indication of the neutral connections between the ear and the brain by measuring the activation of the stapedius muscle.

Otoacoustic Emissions

This is where a very sensitive microphone is placed in the ear canal and measures the cochlea’s response to a click stimulus. OAE’s are a good test of cochlear health. We conduct this test on all ages and it takes around 10 minutes to complete.

Auditory Brainstem Response

This test measures the integrity of the acoustic nerve from the cochlea to the brainstem as well as providing an indication of overall hearing levels. We conduct this test on all ages and it takes around 10 minutes.

Central Auditory Processing

We use a number of specific tests to determine how well the brain processes auditory information. Individuals with APD usually have normal structure and function of the outer, middle and inner ear (peripheral hearing). However, they cannot process the information they hear in the same way as others do, which leads to difficulties in recognizing and interpreting sounds, especially the sounds composing speech. We recommend this test for children from age 5 onwards and it takes around 90 minutes.